City of Chamblee officials recently addressed the decision to forgo 2021 Fourth of July fireworks and concert series. In a press release the city outlined several facts that informed the decision, including a consistent focus on the health and safety of our community.
“The annual budget for the City of Chamblee is adopted in December of the year prior. In December, 2020 we made the decision to not budget for events in the summer of 2021 due to the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, vaccine distribution was just beginning. Projections about when we would have access to vaccinations in Georgia was extremely uncertain,” the written statement said.
Officials anticipated that events later in 2021 like Taste of Chamblee and the Holiday Hoopla would be able to be safely hosted with time to distribute vaccines prior to the events. Both of those events are planned to take place this year and funding has been reserved for them.
In April, city officials re-evaluated the special events policy and also took stock of public health and the status of the Coronavirus pandemic in Georgia.
The outstanding, engaging events hosted by the City require early planning to ensure a safe, fun, and well-executed event for everyone in attendance. In considering and reaching the decision in April, July Fourth would have been “last minute” by planning terms and would not have allowed the same level of preparation necessary to put on a well-executed celebration.
Also at that time, only around 1/3 of the State of Georgia had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination and fully vaccinated rates were even lower.
“While we’re disappointed that we won’t be holding our annual July Fourth celebration this year ... we’re looking forward to a return to the community celebrations that make Chamblee a strong community,” officials said.
Information: chambleega.com
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